Trial and Error

Why was Aaron here? He wasn't supposed to be here. The plan was to meet him at the party but now everything is muddled and to me the whole point of me wearing this ridiculous costume.

"The hell…" Saintclair pulls out his phone and goes to his instagram. "I didn't see any of this." He turns his phone to me which are a series of videos of Ebany twerking in a ball gown.

"I don't want to see that."

"Look in the damn background." Oh, oh my. Aubrey looked like he was trying way too hard and Aaron looked completely uncomfortable.

"I guess he dipped." Lorel came back to us shaking a suspicious bottle. "Aaron's here."

"Really, woah why?"

"He just left the party."

"Well Zayn rub some of this on your face." She handed me the bottle she was holding which had no label indicating what it was.

"What the fuck is this?"

"Liquid highlighter. You need some shine." She grabbed right out of my hand and squeezed some on her finger and grabbed my face.

"The fuc-"

"If you fail me I will make your life a living hell. Remember to use protection and don't be a bore." Saintclair says as he fades between threatening and being nice. I pushed out of the vip area down into the crowd of gyrating highschoolers I hardly or didn't know. I lose sight of where I saw Aaron before. He could be anywhere by now. I'm pushing my way through people dressed in cheap party city costumes and plastic smelling wigs.

"Oh hey." A hand snaked itself around my waist and I swear I wanted to die. I looked down at the hands and I could recognize those rings very well even with this dim lighting. It's fucking Chantelle and I'm sure he didn't know it was me and if he did he would cringe right? I turned to him and glared. "Zayn?" he asked, unsure of who was facing him. "Oh damn what's with the costume. What are you trying?" I kneeled him in the boys since his grip did not falter. "What the fuck man?! I'm just saying you look adorable." Ew.

I ran off into the crowd to find Aaron in the direction I was pretty sure he was heading earlier. He has to be in one of the sitting areas. I wonder around wearing this idiotic costume receiving unreadable stares from people who were half drunk. I really just want to find Aaron and get this over with but as he comes into view I feel the need to down something to get over the anxiety. Fuck why am I like this. I grabbed onto a bottle a server was carrying and drank as much as I could. I wasn't planning on drinking this much but it made me feel much better.

Aaron sat in a far off corner of the hotel scrolling through his phone with a scowl spread across his face. He was most displeased with his night. In the past few weeks Aubrey's antics have ramped up and at this point the throwing himself at him is harassment. It was embarrassing and it was making everyone around them uncomfortable. He didn't care and was pretending like it wasn't happening but it was becoming too much so much he had to excuse himself from the party. It was dying down anyway.

His head lolled to the side and his eyes focused on someone meters away chugging a bottle of vodka. It looks like Zayn but that can't be Zayn, he would never wear that. It looks like him. The frame was similar but that wasn't something he would wear. His breath hitched as they made contact. Is he dreaming? Was there too much alcohol in his system?

"Didn't think you would come here." Zayn says as he takes a sip from his bottle. Aaron wanted to grab that shit right out his hand.

"Well uh I just happened to pass by." He avoided his gaze. This was weird. This doesn't feel right at all.

"Sure." He sat next to him with a slight smile on his face.

"I thought you hated me."

"I never said that I resent you but hate is a strong word." Yeah something was definitely off. It can't be a coincidence Zayn showed up in front of him wearing a little red riding hood costume while he was dressed as a wolf. It makes no sense and this was definitely a set up. He was being punked right? Where are the cameras?

"Why are you looking around like that?" Zayn asked concerningly. Are there really no cameras? Anyone who could see them now would think this was some deliberate couple costume but that was in no way the case.

"What's with the costume?" He asked seriously.

"What do you mean?" He asked almost in a sarcastic laugh as he took another swig at the same bottle. Is he playing with his head or something? He had to be right. "Oh you like it. That's great." He played with his hood a bit. This is fucking crazy is all he could think.

"Are you fucking with me?"

"I don't understand. I came to hang out with you since you're lonely and you're being standoffish…"

"Because you're creeping me out Zayn. What's with the costume? I'll like to know if I'm being set up and if so, that's so low." Low? He's been there so he has no right to speak. He has done worse. He should be glad Zayn was able to keep that down and not blurt it because that might ruin the whole operation.

"Like there's 13 people at this party dressed as Chrisean Rock and that's just mere coincidence why can't that be the case for us but you're paranoid like your ex." That comment was a little uncalled for. The comparison was unnecessary. Something was still up though and he doesn't think he could stop thinking that. "Are you still single?"

"What?" That came out of nowhere.

"I just wanted to know. People been seeing lately you and Aubrey are a thin-"

"Oh fuck and said people are probally just him. I'm not involved with Aubrey romantically or sexually. It's a bunch of bull he has been feeding people. I have no feelings for him." He seemed put off and like he just got a bad taste in his mouth from the implications. "Aubrey is a friend and I'm keeping things that way."

"What about me?" Aaron knew this might just be the liquor talking so he stayed silent. "I said. What about me, what do you think of me, how do you feel about me?" Can he pretend to not hear anything and write this off as a drunk question.

"You're drunk, Zayn," he mumbles as he leans forward. He grabs the nearly empty bottle by the neck and pours himself a shot of whatever Zayn was drinking.

"Nah, I'm tipsy, you know what they say… uh- drunk words are so-sober thots?… thoughts!" Zayn mumbles while leaning more into the sofa. "You're just trying to dismiss me! If you don't answer me I'll take your silence as an answer."

"Ok." Aaron shrugs as he takes another shot from the bottle. Zayn stared at him expecting him to cave and answer him but nothing but his breaths could be heard.

"Are you for real?" Aaron once again shrugs only replying in silence which pisses off Zayn more in his drunk state. "Do you really hate me that much?" Zayn mumbled to himself. He felt like he was back to the days of their ongoing rivalry that was really only one sided because Zayn felt no ill will towards him but he liked his competitive nature. It was nice to have someone go toe to toe with him. "I still don't get it. I don't hate you at all." Aaron begs to differ. It really seemed like he had a lot of distaste for him the day of the Queen's Gala when he implied he was good at lying like there was something underlying that he wanted to say. "I really guess your intentions all along were just to use my feelings against me even though you said that wasn't the case. Did you and I ever really have a genuine friendship?" Some words stung while others burned as they were true. He didn't want to answer but his lips kept quivering to form some sort of excuse. "You're still gonna stay quiet? Fine, you were always a waste of my time." Zayn asked, his voice a lot more disappointed than before. He rose up a little more drunk than before as the alcohol settled in him. He began to walk the way he came when Aaron called out to him.

"Come back here." Zayn's ears perked up as he slowly walked back in Aaron's direction.

"What now, are you going to deny what I just said like it's not true? You know even though I realized you might be linked to the worst person I know. I still liked you and wanted to forgive you for all the stuff you did but I think I changed my mind. You might just be that person." Zayn rolled his eyes as he dropped himself right back into the empty space.

"I just feel like you wouldn't even like me the same after you get what you want and I don't want that." Zayn was just staring at him in a kind of daze and amusement.

"I guess like everyone else you think lowly of me." Zayn was just bitterly ranting now. He still couldn't get over not just people he doesn't like but his friends saying he sleeps with every girl he gets friendly with. He couldn't deny it either but he didn't think it was that visible.

"It's not that I think lowly of you, I just think you're way better than that." Eyebrow raise!